Robredo: Voters now more aware of Otso Diretso bets

Vice President Leni Robredo speaks before the students of the University of Luzon in Dagupan City in Pangsinan about the advocacies of her office during the Kaya Natin! Caravan on Good Governance on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. She also campaigned for the candidates under the “Otso Diretso” ticket. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the Vice President)

MANILA, Philippines — There’s a big improvement in voters’ awareness of the senatorial bets of opposition party Otso Diretso, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Saturday.

“Actually, malaki iyong improvement, kasi noong nag-umpisa kami, talagang kulelat iyong anim dahil hindi pa mga kilala,” Robredo said in a statement.

[Actualy, it‘s a big improvement because when we started six of our candidates were far behind. They were really unknown.]

Robredo said this despite only two out of the eight opposition bets landed in the recent Pulse Asia survey on senatorial candidates.

Former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas landed on the 8th to 12th spot with a 39.8 percent voter preference, while reelectionist Sen. Bam Aquino claimed the 13th to 17th spot.

READ: Poe still leads senatorial survey; Bong Go barges into 3rd place

But the Vice President said the improvement was big because there used to be almost zero awareness of the opposition candidates.

Robredo noted that they had less than 60 days to push for more awareness of the candidates.

“Iyong very encouraging lang, kasi nakita sa figures na mataas iyong conversion — mahina iyong awareness, mataas iyong conversion. So, parang, hopeful naman kami na mayroon pa tayong mga less than 60 days para maghabol,” she said.

[What’s encouraging is that the figures show a high conversion rate — the awareness is low, the conversion is high. So, we’re hopeful that we still have 60 days to catch up.]

Robredo then hoped that the candidates would get higher voter preference, like what she experienced in the 2016 elections.

“Sana iyong nangyari sa akin, ganoon din iyong mangyari sa kanila, na iyong natitirang kaunting oras, nahabol naman. Sa amin, instead na ma-discourage, mas lalo kaming na-encourage sa numbers,” she said.

[I hope what happened to me would happen to them — that in the remaining time they can catch up. Instead of being discouraged by the numbers we are encouraged.]

The Vice President noted previously that people thought that her candidacy was hopeless, but then still won the 2016 vice presidential elections.

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